China Will Surpass US In AI Research Spending By End Of 2018

The National Science Foundation’s Director, who heads NSF, gave a statement earlier this year saying that with the current trends in AI Research, it was reasonable to expect “China to pass the United States in R&D investments” by the end of 2018.

A report called “Rise of the Machines” studying the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence on US Policy was released by the Subcommittee on Information Technology Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. A major underlying theme in the report is a realization that the ‘United States cannot maintain its global leadership in AI absent political leadership from Congress and the Executive Branch’.

US and China Spending on R&D 1999-2021Credits: Rise of the Machines-Artificial Intelligence and its Growing Impact on U.S. Policy

The report predicts that if both China and US continue with the same R&D spending trends, China will cross the US in AI R&D spending by end of 2018.

The report recommends an increased engagement on AI by Congress and the Administration to avoid China reigning the AI world. It makes many urgent steps including urging the Senate to pass the OPEN Government Data Act (making Government information available publicly) and making AI a budget priority for every congressional committee.

It’s high time Trump recognized the importance of science and technology and more specifically the role of AI in the future, otherwise, China may well replace US as the global Leader in AI.